Almond Croissant Cinnamon Rolls
Published 4/6/2024 • Updated 10/28/2024
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Good morning, beautiful! These almond croissant cinnamon rolls are filled with an almond cream (frangipane), and topped with a simple vanilla glaze! They’re truly an almond croissant in cinnamon roll form — option to prepare them the night before and bake in the morning.
Featured Comment
“I’ve been anticipating this recipe since I saw Fit Foodie post about this a few months ago. The second I saw it dropped, I knew I’d be making it ASAP. The almond filling is the stuff dreams are made of. If you’re an almond lover like me, you NEED to make these immediately. 10/10. 5 stars. No notes.” – Emmy
We can’t stop making cinnamon rolls around here! And honestly, we don’t want to 😋 First came our maple cinnamon rolls, and then our apple cinnamon rolls, and omg who could forget our pumpkin cinni rolls.
But wowwwy are we excited to share these almond croissant cinnamon rolls with you. They are everything you love about almond croissants — the creamy almond filling, the slivered almonds — rolled up with love into the most delectable cinnamon roll.
If you’ve never made homemade rolls before, don’t feel intimidated — the prep work is simple to follow and actually quite fun! The only time-consuming part is waiting for the dough to rise, but you can just go about your day while it does its thing. Trust us when we say these almond croissant cinnamon rolls will jazz up any occasion!
Plus, we’ll show you how to prepare these rolls the night before so all you need to do is bake them in the morning.
why you’ll love these cinnamon rolls
Amazing almond flavor: we love this almond-y twist on a classic cinnamon roll. You’ll find amazing almond flavor in every bite — because there is almond extract AND almond flour AND sliced almonds in the filling 🙂
Prepare the night before: you can prepare your rolls the night before and store in the fridge overnight. Simply bake in the morning, and ENJOY.
Perfect for serving a crowd: these almond croissant cinnamon rolls are perfect for serving a crowd at any special occasion. The whole fam will love them!
Featured Ingredients for Almond Croissant Cinnamon Rolls
For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card for a list of ingredients and instructions.
- 2% milk: Warmed milk is a key component of creating a soft dough for these rolls. Make sure it’s warmed to 100-110℉.
- Quick-rise yeast: We used quick-rise yeast in this recipe to speed up the prepping process. You’re welcome 😋
- All the almonds: You’ll need slivered almonds, almond flour AND almond extract for these rolls. They’re ALMOND croissant cinnamon rolls after all.
- Sugar: We used both granulated sugar and powdered sugar for this recipe. Gotta make it sweet!
- All-purpose flour: We don’t recommend making any substitutions here! The AP flour is crucial for making a fluffy roll.
- Stand mixer w/ hook attachment: Make sure you have a stand mixer with a hook attachment to ensure the dough gets properly mixed.
Don’t have a stand mixer? You can use a wooden spoon until the dough is formed enough to knead by hand. Then hand knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic.
Pro Tips for Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
We have a few pro tips to share when it comes to making cinnamon rolls. Follow these tips to cinnamon roll perfection:
DON’T OVERHEAT THE MILK
Because the yeast is getting started in the warm milk, you don’t want it to be TOO WARM. Yeast will bloom perfectly when the milk is around 110°F. If the milk is too warm, it can kill the yeast. Conversely, if the milk is too cold, the yeast will have a tough time blooming, which can result in dense rolls — no one wants that!
QUICK RISE YEAST VS ACTIVE DRY YEAST
We love using quick rise yeast for these rolls! Technically, quick rise yeast doesn’t require you to let it bloom before mixing into the dough, but we like to get it started in warm milk to allow for perfect rising.
Does active dry yeast work, too? Yes! Follow the same instructions, but be mindful that your rise times may increase slightly.
USE A SHARP SERRATED KNIFE TO CUT ROLLS
Use a SHARP serrated knife and gently slice your cinnamon rolls using a gentle back and forth motion, making sure to not squish the rolls. This will help keep the form, but don’t you worry if the rolls squish a bit — you can reform the rolls easily with your hands.
TO CUT EQUAL-SIZE CINNAMON ROLLS
For equal-sized cinnamon rolls, you’ll need to evenly divide the roll of dough into 1 inch cinnamon rolls. Start in middle of the roll, and mark the dough with a knife, then mark every inch on each side of the middle mark.
Overnight Instructions
To prepare these almond croissant cinnamon rolls the night before so all you need to do the morning you serve them is bake, follow these simple instructions:
- Make the rolls as instructed up to step 12.
- Then, in the morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature (approximately 30 minutes).
- Bake as instructed.
- Glaze & enjoy!
Storage + Freezer Directions
Store the baked rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, but be aware that the texture may change slightly.
To reheat: while reheating these rolls in the microwave absolutely works, our preferred method is in the oven. Reheat rolls covered at 350°F for 10 minutes or until the rolls are warm and just as delicious as the first time you took them out of the oven.
To freeze these almond croissant cinnamon rolls AFTER BAKING, let them cool completely before wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
To freeze these almond croissant cinnamon rolls BEFORE BAKING, stop at step 12 before wrapping the dough rolls in plastic wrap and storing them in the baking dish (we like using a disposable aluminum casserole dish for these occasions!) for up to 3 months.
try it!
Maple Cinnamon Rolls
Looking for another cinnamon roll recipe? Try our maple cinnamon rolls! Mmm!
Almond Croissant Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 1.25 cups 2% milk, warmed to 100℉-110℉
- 2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
Almond Croissant Filling
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons almond extract
- 1.5 cup almond flour
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Add the warm milk, yeast, and sugar to a large bowl. Set aside until the yeast has bloomed – about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Whisk to combine.
- Using a stand mixer on low-medium speed with the dough hook attachment, slowly stir the flour and salt into the wet ingredients. Once all of the flour has been added and a shaggy dough has formed, knead for 2-3 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic (it should bounce back when you poke it).
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and then a tea towel. Place it in a warm place to rise until doubled in size – about 1-1.5 hours.
- While the dough rises, make the filling. In a small bowl add the softened butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer mix until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy.
- Then, add the almond extract, almond flour, and egg to the creamed butter and sugar and mix to combine. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Roll it into a rectangle that is approximately 18” long, 12” wide, and ¼” thick.
- Spread the filling over the dough and then roll it into a tight log, starting at one of the long sides.
- Slice the log into 1” rolls. This will yield 9-12 rolls, depending on how tightly you roll your log and whether you start rolling at a long or short side of the dough.
- Butter a 9×13 baking dish or line it with parchment paper. Add the rolls to the dish, making sure they just barely touch. Sprinkle the almond slices over the rolls.
- If you’re making the rolls in advance, wrap them in plastic and place them in the fridge for up to 12 hours. Bring the rolls to room temperature (about 30 minutes) when you’re ready to bake and then skip to step 13.
- If you aren’t making the rolls in advance, cover with plastic wrap and then a tea towel, and place them in a warm spot to rise until the rolls begin to touch – about 30 minutes. While the rolls rise, preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until the centers are set and the top is golden brown.
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the vanilla glaze. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool for at least 10 minutes before icing.
Tips & Notes
- Make it a bit sweeter by sifting powdered sugar over the rolls. Or skip the vanilla glaze and sift powdered sugar.
- We like to refrigerate the frangipane before spreading it on the dough so that it doesn’t squish out while cutting the rolls. You will still lose some while cutting, but not nearly as much.
- Make these more almond forward by swapping almond extract for the vanilla in the dough.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag #fitfoodiefinds, we’d love to see what you’re up to!
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
Can I substitute the 2% milk for almond milk?
Absolutely!
What gluten free flour would you recommend to make these GF?
We recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour 🙂
These are HEAVENLY. The almond filling is what almond lovers are looking for! I did skip the glaze and sifted some powdered sugar- these were a hit at work!
Ohhh love the idea of sifting powdered sugar on top — I’ll have to try that next time we make a batch!
I have a weakness for almond croissants, and these cinnamon roll-style ones with the same filling were just too good!
Yay!
I’ve been anticipating this recipe since I saw Fit Foodie post about this a few months ago. The second I saw it dropped, I knew I’d be making it ASAP. The almond filling is the stuff dreams are made of. If you’re an almond lover like me, you NEED to make these immediately. 10/10. 5 stars. No notes.
Emmy! Thank you so much! We’re so glad you love these almond croissant cinni rolls as much as we do 😀
I’m a sucker for almond croissants and these were absolutely incredible with the same filling, but in cinnamon roll style! The only thing I did differently was double the almond extract in the filling for a little extra punch, and added a spoonful of cream cheese to the icing. The texture of these is perfect! I decided to freeze half of them to bake up for another weekend, and am already thinking about how I want to make another batch for when I have guests here. You need these in your life!
We’re so glad you loved these rolls, Heather!